Forever Haunted
by Aspen-Writer
Summary: For hundreds of years, monsters have been oppressed by the Mewmans. One young monster grows up among this oppression and his experiences causes him to join the fight against the Mewmans in order to bring peace and freedom to the monsters. However sometimes fighting a war means making decisions and the consequences of those decisions can haunt you for the rest of your life.
1. Dreams of a Rebellion

_**PROLOGUE: Dreams of a Rebellion**_

Night had fallen upon the kingdom of Mewni and the Mewman people were just settling down for the night. Each house became dark as one by one the candle flames were snuffed out. When the last candle went out, there was a stirring from the nearby swamps and forests. Monsters great and small began to creep out from their hiding places and made their way towards a large cave at the outskirts of the forest.

Word had gotten around that Old Alberic had had a vision the previous night and called a meeting for all the monsters of Mewni. Being the oldest and wisest of monsters, the others were more than willing to lose some sleep in order to hear what he had to say.

The monsters began to file into the cave and settled down comfortably among the rocks and stalagmites of the cave with some bat monsters perching themselves upside down on the stalactites. Finally all the monsters were accounted for and their chattering fell silent as a monster slowly shuffled his way towards a raised flat boulder standing right in front of the crowd of monsters.

Alberic was a large stout monster with shaggy gray hair falling over his eyes and a shaggy gray beard growing from his chin. He had large white tusks which curved upward from his jaws. With a grunt he attempted to climb up the boulder and it wasn't until two monsters went up to help him up that he was able to get on and slowly sat down with a pained grunt, clutching his walking stick to steady himself.

Finally after heaving a huge sigh, Alberic looked around at the assembled monsters.

"My friends," He spoke in a hoarse voice, "my time is nearly ending and I shall not remain with you for very long. However, before I pass on I must share some of my wisdom with you all. I've had a very long life and have had time for thought as I meditated throughout the years. It is through this meditation that I began to understand the nature of life in Mewni."

Alberic paused to clear his throat but the monsters kept quiet in rapt attention and waited for him to continue.

"Friends, what is the nature of our lives? Our lives are short and miserable. We are born into poverty and starvation. We have grown so used to the hollowness of our aching stomachs and have grown used to being wet and cold from poor shelter. We work long and hard to support our families and sometimes we act out of desperation and try to steal enough food but when caught we are slaughtered in hideous cruelty. No monster in Mewni knows the meaning of happiness or freedom.

"But why is it that we continue living in this miserable condition? Who are the ones who prohibit us from gaining enough food to feed ourselves and our families? Tell me friends, what is the one enemy that all monsters have to contend with?"

"Fleas," A rat like monster spoke up.

The monsters with fur began to nod in agreement but Alberic merely chuckled with amusement.

"No, my friend, no. There are worse things than fleas, I assure you."

"Magic," A goat like monster offered.

The monsters murmured in serious agreement and even Alberic nodded a bit.

"That is nearer the mark. I will answer my own question. Mewmans. There is the answer to all our problems. We are poor because the Mewmans force us to remain in these unforgiving forests and forsaken swamps. They keep the food that we so desperately need under guard with their magic. It is Mewmans who trespass onto our swamps and forests so that they can hunt us down and mount our heads on their walls without a second thought."

Alberic looked around and pointed to a couple of monsters.

"You, Ierig, remember that day when you found yourself near a Mewman farm by sheer accident? The Mewmans immediately launched an attack on you and nearly blinded your only eye. And you, Vyanse…what ever happened to the father of your four children? He was slaughtered by a platoon of the Mewman Queen's soldiers. Your children will never see their father again. That is the fate many of our friends and families had fallen into. Death by the Mewman Queen and her soldiers."

As Alberic spoke these atrocities, the anger of the monsters rose for nearly all of them have had a negative experience with Mewmans in the past. Finally angry shouts and curses rang through the cave.

"It is the Mewman Queen who robbed us of everything!"

"The queen keeps us hungry and allows her soldiers to slaughter us!"

"The queen's soldiers slaughtered the father of my children!"

"Down with the queen!"

"Down with the queen! Down with the queen! Death to the queen!"

Alberic raised his hand for silence and the angry shouts died instantly.

"Friends, it is not enough to say 'death to the queen'. Death to Mewmans should be our motto. Remove Mewmans and all monsters will gain back the land we have lost. We will become rich and free. What must we do to achieve this? Why work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the Mewman race! That is my message to you all…rebellion!

"I do not know when the rebellion will take place. It could be in a week or maybe even in a hundred years, but I know as surely as I see the pebbles before me, that sooner or later justice for monsters will be done!"

The monsters roared and applauded in elation. Some even began to unsheathe their weapons as if the rebellion was about to take place right at this very second. Some might even have run off to rebel but it was Alberic who stopped them when he spoke again.

"But remember my friends, your resolution must not falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen if someone says Mewmans and monsters are the same. It is all lies. Mewmans do not care about anyone but themselves. And among us monsters, let there be perfect unity! All Mewmans are enemies. All monsters are friends.

"And remember, when fighting against the Mewmans we must never come to resemble them. No monster must ever live in a castle or use magic. All the habits of Mewmans are evil. And above all, no monster must ever tyrannize over his or her kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, big or small, fur or feathers, skin or scales, we are all brothers and sisters. All monsters are equal! Fix your eyes on that, my friends! Pass on this message to your children so that their children and the children afterwards shall carry on the struggle until the rebellion is victorious!"

There was an uproar of excitement and when it died down, Alberic continued.

"And now my friends, I must tell you of my vision. While I was on my usual meditation, a song came to me. I am certain that this song was sung by the monsters of long ago after the Great Massacre. I shall sing it to you now, friends. I am old and my voice isn't quite as good as it used to be, but once you learn it then you can sing it better for yourselves."

Alberic cleared his throat and began to sing. It was a stirring tune, soft and calm but soon began to rise in determination and triumph.

 _Monsters of Mewni, come and unite_

 _The Mewman scum will fear our might._

 _So come, my brothers and sisters_

 _The struggle must carry on._

 _Sooner or later, the day shall come_

 _The Mewmans will be chased off_

 _The great land of Mewni_

 _A paradise for monsters it will become!_

As Alberic sang in his gruff voice, the monsters slowly began to join in softly and their voices rose with wild enthusiasm.

 _Abundant food far than the eye can see_

 _Corn that shall grow in a grand array_

 _Farmlands rich with nourishing soil_

 _Shall be ours upon that day!_

 _The sun of Mewni will shine brighter_

 _When the Mewmans shall flee_

 _Days will be filled with joy and celebration_

 _In the moment we shall be free_

 _Let the Mewman tyranny be ended_

 _The Mewman castles shall fall!_

 _We shall fight until our dying breath_

 _So that freedom can be enjoyed by one and all_

 _So Monsters of Mewni, come and unite!_

 _The Mewman scum will fear our might._

 _Come, my brothers and sisters_

 _The struggle must carry on!_

The song threw the monsters into a wild excitement and they burst into song in unison. The monsters howled along, they roared, they squawked. They were so excited by the message of this song that they would have sung it all night…if it wasn't for an interruption.

"My dear? My dear, wake up!"

The queen of Mewni awoke to the sound of her husband's voice. The king was sitting up on the bed and was pointing towards the open windows of the balcony.

"I think I heard something in the forest. It sounds like…a large army of monsters singing some dreadful song!"

The queen immediately sat up and listened. Sure enough she heard a faint sound of monsters roaring and howling. She got out of bed and reached for her wand.

"Do not despair, love. I shall deal with it."

Going over to the balcony, the queen pinpointed the direction on where the noises were coming from and pointed her wand towards the direction. The wand began to glow a bright purple light and a ball of magic shot out from it.

The wand's magic shot over the Mewman village, through the forest, and struck the cave where the meeting was taking place, blasting off a chunk of the cave's outer walls.

That was the end of the meeting and the monsters immediately hurried to their homes and the swamplands fell silent in a moment.

Alberic was the last one to leave the cave and he paused to glare contemptuously at the Mewni castle in the distant horizon.

"The Mewmans may rule over us now, but one day they shall pay the price for their treatment of monsters. I know deep in my heart that one day a leader will emerge and rebel against the Mewmans. One day…one day…"

Years passed since the night of the big meeting of monsters. Old Alberic passed on and his words were passed on through the monsters in Mewni. Some brave monsters were encouraged by Alberic's words and attempted to make the rebellion a reality. Unfortunately these small rebellions ended as quickly as they began and the leaders were executed. Because of the executions and harsh punishments, many monsters began to have uncertainties about the possibility of a rebellion against the powerful Mewmans and their magic. Rebellions continued erupting through the years but none of them lasted very long. Soon no monster was brave enough to go against the Mewmans and the idea of rebellion was soon forgotten by a majority of the monsters. Still there were some monsters who had not abandoned the dream of freedom.

Deep in their hearts they knew that it would come someday, possibly not in their lifetime but it was still coming. Even the song Old Alberic had shared was still hummed and sang to their children who then passed it on to their children.

For years the dream remained but as each generation passed on the dream grew fainter that is until the birth of one monster who would be known as a demon to the Mewmans and a hero to all monsters.

 _A/N: I've wanted to write Toffee's backstory even before "Battle for Mewni" aired. Once it aired, I had mixed feelings about it as a whole. There were some things that I did like about it, but I was disappointed that they killed off Toffee like that and didn't give him much of a backstory. But on the other hand, I was a bit relieved that they didn't do a backstory since I've been wanting to write this fanfic and I feared that it would contradict canon._

 _Reviews are very much appreciated!_


	2. Toffee

_**Chapter 1: Toffee**_

At the edge of the forest of Mewni, stood a small shack which was quite tattered and looked like it was about to fall. However inside the shack it was warm and safe for a tiny lizard monster to remain in without fear of harm. The young monster child was around four years old and laid sprawled on his stomach as he set up two sets of armies made of twigs and grass. After setting up both of his small armies the child sat up and stared. His imaginary armies were missing something. He looked around at his room and finally his eyes fell upon the bed where a small toy sat on a pillow.

Of course! That's what the armies were missing.

Standing up the child walked over to the bed and picked up the toy from his pillow.

The toy was a small owl made from bird feathers, grass, and twigs. However some of the feathers were beginning to fall off making it look ragged, but the child still loved the toy. It was a special gift from his mother that he cherished every day.

The child placed the owl toy among side of the army, smiling proudly.

"You'll be the general for the bird army, Asta. You're a bird so it fits."

The child looked over at the other army and frowned. "Hmm…but what about the lizard army?"

With a sigh, the child wandered out of his room and walked to the middle of another room that served as both the living area and the kitchen. The child immediately set his eyes on the small bookshelf in one corner of the room. The shelves contained a few books and scrolls but the object that caught the child's eye was a wooden lizard figure standing on the top shelf. The child smiled. It was perfect for his lizard army.

Hurrying over to the shelf, the child reached up to grab the wooden figure but unfortunately he was still a bit too small to get the figure. This didn't faze him though. After a few minutes of thought, the child reached up and grabbed onto the second shelf and carefully placed his feet on the bottom shelf. Slowly he began to reach up towards the third shelf above him his eyes still glued onto the wooden figure. If he can just climb up and reach it then he'll have the perfect general for the lizard army. He just had to take it slowly…climb slowly and steadily.

"Toffee?!"

The child immediately froze at the sound of his name. Looking over his shoulder he saw his mother, Cordelia, standing near the doorway, her eyes wide in shock at what she was seeing but this lasted for a few seconds. She immediately rushed over and grabbed her child away from the bookshelf which wobbled. Cordelia immediately grabbed onto it and kept it from crashing to the floor. With a sigh of relief, she turned towards her young son and glared at him.

"Toffee, what were you doing?!"

Toffee stared up at his mother in alarm. "I just—"

"Don't you ever climb up there again, you hear me?" His mother snapped harshly. "You could have fallen and gotten hurt or crushed if the bookshelf fell on top of you!"

Toffee looked down at the floor, shame flowing through him at his mother's harsh tone. "I'm sorry mommy…I just wanted that." He pointed towards the wooden figure at the top of the bookshelf. Cordelia turned her head towards where her son was pointing at and her expression became one of regret.

She hugged her son close to her and kissed his forehead. "Honey, I'm sorry but you cannot have that right now."

"But why, mommy?"

"It's something that is very important and special to me. I don't want it to be broken."

"I won't break it. I promise to be careful."

His mother smiled. "I'm sure you will, but…" She sighed again. "Listen, I'll tell you about the little figure when you're older. Right now, the story is very long and very sad."

"Oh…" Toffee didn't mind long stories, but sad stories were a different matter. "All right, mommy. I'm sorry."

Cordelia smiled gently and she gave him another hug. "I'll tell you what…how about I tell you a different story?"

Toffee's eyes lit up with excitement. "A story with armies?"

"Any story you'd like."

Toffee gave a little jump of excitement. "Okay! I have an army we can use!"

The child grabbed onto his mother's hand and led her to the bedroom and pointed to his small toy armies. "See mommy? That's the bird army and that's the lizard army! See?"

"I see!" Cordelia laughed. "You're becoming so creative with your toys, Toffee!"

Toffee beamed with pride. His mother sat down on the floor and placed her son on her lap before picking up the owl doll, Asta.

"This story is the tale of General Hawkclaw, legendary hero of monsters."

For the next hour, Toffee sat in rapt attention as his mother wove a tale of the heroic bird monster who fought bravely against the tyrannical Queen Celestina by using his wits instead of strength. As Cordelia reached the end, her voice slowly began to drift off. Luckily for her, Toffee was already nodding off to sleep. It was just as well that he didn't know what happens to Hawkclaw.

Cordelia knew how the story ended. Hawkclaw was eventually defeated by the queen's daughter and his army scattered throughout Mewni.

It was the same ending with all monster legends.

Sighing, Cordelia held her small son close to her and stroked his hair tenderly while humming a tune she had learned from her infancy. Eventually the humming changed into singing.

 _"Sooner or later, the day shall come_

 _The Mewmans will be chased off_

 _The great land of Mewni_

 _A paradise for monsters it will become…"_

"Mommy?"

Cordelia paused when Toffee spoke. "Yes dear?"

"What is that song you always sing?" Toffee murmured.

Cordelia smiled. "It's a song that I learned long ago. It is a bit long and the words are hard to understand. I will teach you the song when you're older."

Toffee yawned, too sleepy to argue. "Okay…"

Without another word, Toffee drifted off to sleep as his mother continued humming the lullaby she had always hummed ever since he was born.

Through one of the windows, Cordelia could see the Mewman castle standing tall and proudly at a distance and she snarled in disgust.

The thought of the Mewmans living peacefully without a care disgusted her. They took everything away from her…family, friends, and a peaceful life.

Cordelia looked down at her sleeping child and determination rose in her heart.

But whatever happens, she vowed that they will never take her son away from her.


	3. Soup and Shock

_**Chapter 2: Soup and Shock**_

T

he rain finally stopped three days later much to Toffee's delight. Being stuck inside a house for nearly a week was enough to drive any child mad so as soon as the sun's rays shone through the dark clouds the lizard child immediately headed to the door and opened it wide. The weather was warm and the clouds above were starting to disappear. Toffee climbed down the steps from the front door and wandered over to one corner of his house where he found a branch of decent length to use for his imagination. Toffee began to swing the stick around, imagining himself as one of the brave monster warriors in his mother's tales fighting off countless of enemies with his sword.

"Toffee?"

Toffee looked up at the sound of his mother who was standing near the doorway.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking," Toffee answered.

"Oh?" Cordelia smiled. "What are you thinking of?"

"I'm thinking about how I can fight off the army of Queen Celestina like Hawkclaw did."

Toffee turned his back against his mother to continue on slashing at imaginary enemies so he did not notice his mother's expression of alarm. Cordelia watched her son fight off his invented foes before speaking firmly, "Well put that stick down. I don't want you to poke your eye out."

Toffee paused and looked at his mother in confusion. "But…my eye will still grow back. Isn't that what happens when we get hurt?"

Cordelia closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes, but…you are still too young, my son. It will take you longer to regenerate an eye, plus it is not a pleasant experience. Put the stick down, please."

Toffee pouted but did what his mother asked him to do.

"Thank you, Toffee." Cordelia frowned as Toffee merely crossed his arms and pouted at her. Then she had an idea.

"Toffee, would you like to go with me to visit a friend?"

Toffee blinked. "A friend? Who?"

"An old friend who has helped me many times before. She knew you when you were born. Would you like to meet her?"

Toffee thought about this for a moment before finally nodding.

Soon he was walking besides his mother on a narrow track that ran through the bushes and trees of the forest. Toffee clutched onto his mother's hand tighter as they went deeper into the forest. Cordelia squeezed Toffee's hand reassuringly as she continued on walking with her son. Toffee looked around at the vast trees and undergrowth.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Is there anything here that could eat us?"

"No, my son. You are perfectly safe with me."

Toffee was satisfied with that answer and felt a bit braver with his mother beside him. Eventually the forest grew lighter and soon they reached a clearing where another small shack stood in the middle of it.

Toffee blinked in astonishment.

The shack was much smaller and more unkempt than his home. Sitting outside in front of the shack was a figure wrapped in brown shabby cloak hunched over a boiling cauldron and muttering words Toffee couldn't hear.

Cordelia cleared her throat and the figure lifted its head.

It was a female monster with a wide face and a large flat nose. Red stringy hair covered some of her face but Toffee could clearly see the eyes. One of her eyes was half closed and the other was wide open and staring. The monster smiled wide revealing blackened gums and very few teeth.

"Ahh Cordelia! I see you brought the boy."

Toffee became frightened again and grabbed onto his mother's hand again. Cordelia merely smiled.

"It's good to see you again, Hortense. I've brought something for you."

Toffee watched as his mother held out a bag of pine nuts she had gathered towards the elderly monster. Hortense took the bag and opened it to look inside. She grinned and nodded.

"Yes, yes, pine nuts are a good food source. Excellent!"

Toffee merely frowned as he watched Hortense pour the entire bag contents into the boiling cauldron. Hortense stirred the pot for a moment before sampling it then she held the spoon out towards Toffee.

"Here child. Have a taste and tell me what you think."

"Huh?" Toffee stared at her.

"Go on! Sample! It's not poison."

Toffee hesitated and looked up at his mother. His mother smiled and nodded encouragingly. Slowly Toffee took the spoon and lifted it towards his mouth, sipping the dark brown stew. A bitter and sour taste flowed through his tongue causing him to spit the liquid out.

"It's disgusting!"

"Toffee!" Cordelia snapped. "Don't be rude!"

"No, no!" Hortense waved a hand. "The child is right. This soup is missing something…it's not finished…hmmm…"

A change then came over Hortense. Her eyes widened slowly and an idiotic smile came upon her face. "Corrnn…yes that is it! Corn is what it's missing!"

Toffee blinked. "What is corn?"

Hortense snapped back to reality and stared at Toffee in disbelief. "What?! You do not know what corn is?" She gave a glare towards Cordelia. "Delia, haven't you've been teaching this child anything?!"

Toffee was beginning to loathe Hortense and her criticism against his mother made him bristle in anger.

"She's teaching me how to read! I know the alphabet and can read words."

"Ah but you do not know the sacred food of all monsters!" Hortense pointed the spoon towards Toffee. "Corn! The food that is the color of gold and tastes just as sweet as gold. The food that is hoarded by those greedy Mewmans so that us monsters will starve!"

Toffee was growing more and more confused at Hortense's rambling. "What are Mewmans?"

Hortense stared at Toffee before frowning disapprovingly at Cordelia. "I see the boy hasn't learned much about his history."

"No," Cordelia's voice became tense. "And I'll keep it that way until he's old enough to understand."

"Puh!" Hortense snorted. "If he ever grows old enough."

The elderly monster slowly stood up, groaning in pain. "Ohh, these bones aren't as young as they used to be. We must go inside and talk some more, Delia."

"Very well," Cordelia nodded. "Come along, Toffee."

"No." Toffee answered immediately. He didn't want to be anywhere near Hortense.

Cordelia paused and gave her son a disapproving look. "Toffee, come in with us…"

Toffee scowled and folded his arms, still glaring at Hortense.

"Toffee—"

"Ah, let him stay out here," Hortense shrugged before Cordelia could say anything. "He could be in charge of the soup." She then shoved the spoon into Toffee's hands. "There you go child. Just keep stirring the soup and don't let it over boil."

"But Hortense—" Cordelia started to protest but was shushed by her old friend.

"Now, now, Delia, the boy could learn some responsibility."

Toffee was fuming as Hortense and Cordelia went into the old shack. Once he was sure Hortense wasn't looking, the child threw the spoon down and kicked dirt over it and muttered angry words against the old monster.

How dare this old monster criticize his mother and make him feel stupid for not knowing what corn or Mewmans are. Well he'll show her. He'll go off and find corn to bring back. Then she'll see he was not some ignorant child.

And with that Toffee stormed off into the forest.

Finding corn was a lot difficult than Toffee ever expected. He searched through the bushes and underneath rocks but he could not find the so called food that was the color of gold. Was there even such a thing as golden food? Or what if Hortense was just making things up? Toffee felt the latter made more sense.

The sound of the river caused Toffee to perk up. Finding corn was long and tiring work. Hurrying towards the river, the child sighed with relief when he finally came upon the flowing water. Reaching the edge of the water, Toffee got onto his hands and knees and drank deeply.

"Look!"

A voice made Toffee stop. Lifting his head and turning around he blinked in astonishment at what was standing behind him. Four new creatures stood staring at him with wide eyes. Toffee had never seen creatures like these.

They had no fur, no scales or feathers, just skin. They were wearing layers of clothing and Toffee saw that they had strange little symbols on their cheeks.

Toffee stared silently at these strange new creatures who seemed to be around his age.

Were these Mewmans that Hortense had spoken about?

Before Toffee could say anything, a rock flew through the air and struck his nose.

Toffee gave a yelp of pain and soon more rocks were being thrown at him by the Mewman children and they were shouting.

"It's a monster!"

"Kill the monster!"

"Monster scum!"

"Leave us alone, monster!"

Toffee covered his head with his arms as the Mewman children continued on pelting him with stones and dirt.

"Stop!" The monster child cried in terror as the stones cut into his skin. "Leave me alone!"

Terrified, Toffee turned and fled but the rocks continued on pounding against his back and the back of his head.

"Get the monster! Get him!"

Toffee didn't know where he was running. All he knew was that he needed to get away from them fast but everywhere he turned more stones were thrown at him. Soon he was surrounded by the Mewman children who continued on their assault of stones and dirt.

Toffee sobbed in pain and terror as he desperately tried to shield his head. It seemed like the rocks would never stop but then there was a terrifying screech. The Mewman children froze in terror as a female lizard monster came charging from the trees, teeth bared and claws outstretched towards them.

"What are you doing?!" The monster hissed in rage. "GET AWAY FROM MY SON!"

Behind her an elderly monster was running right behind her, waving a walking stick threateningly. "Go on! Get away, you filthy Mewman brats!"

Screaming with terror the Mewman children dropped their stones and fled away from the furious monsters.

"And don't you ever come back!" Hortense shouted, shaking a fist towards them. "Puh! Serves them right."

"Toffee? Toffee!"

Hortense turned to find Cordelia kneeling on the ground and holding her son close to her chest.

"Oh my son," Cordelia cooed softly, "don't worry, you're fine now. Mommy's here….mommy's here. You'll be all right."

Hortense limped over and placed a hand on Cordelia's shoulder. "We better leave soon. Those brats might have parents around and they will definitely come to get rid of those who tried to hurt their children."

Cordelia merely nodded and the monsters left the area quickly.

Toffee meanwhile was clutching onto his mother. A few of the smaller wounds had already healed by themselves while the bigger ones were still bleeding. Once reaching Hortense's house, the elderly monster instructed Cordelia to place the child on the bed as she prepared a poultice for the wounds that still remained.

"It'll keep them from being infected."

Toffee didn't protest as the stinging poultice was applied onto the wounds but he did bury his face into his mother's shoulders.

"Shh," Cordelia whispered comfortingly. "It's all right Toffee. I'm here…they can't hurt you now."

Toffee remained silent. Once the last of the poultice had been applied, Hortense's face grew grim. "I think it is best that you two leave immediately. If there are Mewmans close to the river then Mewmans will be arriving shortly."

"But what about you, Hortense?" Cordelia asked. "Will you be fine on your own?"

Hortense gave a laugh. "Delia, I have lived here all by myself since the last great war. I can handle a bunch of weak Mewmans."

"Well," Cordelia hesitated. "Well…all right. Be safe, Hortense."

"Oh but before you go…"

Hortense handed Cordelia a small vial of the poultice. "Make sure to apply it every night on the wounds. If only he were older, we wouldn't worry about his wounds, but since he isn't it's best to be safe than sorry."

"I understand," Cordelia nodded as she took the vial. "Thank you Hortense."

The sun was beginning to set when Cordelia left with Toffee. The child had his arms wrapped around his mother's neck and he buried his face into her shoulder anytime he heard a strange noise. Cordelia stroked his back and whispered soothing sounds to him to comfort him.

Finally after what seemed like forever they managed to reach their home.

"You're safe now, Toffee." Cordelia murmured to her son as she tucked him into his bed. "We're safe. Nothing will get you now."

"Mommy?" Toffee's voice was small and weak.

"Yes, dear?"

"Why did they hate me? I didn't do anything to them…"

Cordelia hesitated. How could she explain to her child about the Mewman hatred against monsters like them? He was still too young to experience anything like that…and yet he has.

Cordelia stroked her son's hair. "Sometimes…there are those who fear things that they do not understand. Monsters and Mewmans…we've always had a difficult history with each other."

"I don't think I like Mewmans," Toffee sniffed. "They are mean."

"I know, dear," Cordelia kissed her son's forehead. "But I will protect you from them as long as I live. You can count on it."

Toffee looked up at his mother. "Promise?"

Cordelia smiled and crossed her heart. "From the bottom of my heart."

Toffee smiled back at her. "Okay."

His mother laughed softly as she placed Asta close to her son. "Now get some sleep. It will help you feel better."

Toffee nodded and clutched Asta close to him. The last thing he remembered before falling into a deep sleep was hearing his mother singing the same lullaby from long ago.

 _A/N: I feel bad for making child Toffee go through this...but it's the first step into making him the cold lizard we know_ _and love._


	4. Memorials

_**Chapter 3: Memorial**_

A few weeks passed after Toffee's first encounter with Mewmans and the young monster was slowly returning to normal much to the relief of his mother. He was slowly beginning to play once again with Asta and his new favorite game was to pretend Asta was a fierce dragon bird that swooped in to grab the Mewman children who had tormented him and fly off with them to drop them in an unknown land. It made Toffee feel a lot better.

Still the unspoken impression of Mewman and Monster hostilities remained in the air and it would all come down to a head one morning.

On that particular morning, Toffee was awoken early by Cordelia.

"Toffee, wake up dear."

The child blinked sleepily. He could see that the room was still dark therefore the sun was still not up. He turned to go back to sleep.

"It's still night, Mommy…"

"It's very early in the morning, son." Cordelia explained gently. "We have to get up early so that we'll be able to arrive on time."

Toffee blinked again. "Arrive where?"

"To an area you haven't been before, but I think it is time you learn about this important day."

Toffee was torn. On one hand he wanted to remain asleep in the warm bed, but on the other hand he was very intrigued by this new place. Eventually curiosity overcame the desire to sleep.

Mother and son left their small home and one step out of his house made Toffee realize that perhaps remaining in bed was the best idea. The forest was dark and the moon had disappeared. He grabbed onto his mother's hand and hesitated.

"I don't want to go anymore."

Cordelia smiled at him. "It's all right Toffee. I promise nothing will hurt you."

Toffee remained rooted to where he was and furiously shook his head.

Without a word, Cordelia reached down and picked her son up. Toffee would have protested but he felt a lot calmer being carried by his mother. He closed his eyes and buried his face into her shoulder as she walked through the narrow path of the forest. He didn't know how long he remained like that but after a while his mother spoke.

"Toffee, tell me what you hear."

That was an odd question. You didn't really hear anything during the darkness except strange and frightening noises. Toffee tilted his head and tried to listen.

"I don't hear anything, Mommy."

"Try again and listen closely."

Uttering a little sigh of irritation, Toffee closed his eyes and listened again. Faintly he could hear the sound of…

"Birds?"

"Yes Toffee."

"But why are birds singing?" The child wanted to know. "Birds only sing in the day."

"It's a dawn chorus." His mother explained. "When the birds sense that the sun will arrive soon, that is when they start singing their songs."

"But why?"

"Many reasons," His mother answered patiently. "Some say the birds sing to attract mates, others say they try to warn other birds of danger or to stay away from their trees."

"What do you believe, Mommy?"

Cordelia said nothing which made Toffee not question it any further. He relaxed a little bit and went on listening to the bird's dawn chorus. Eventually the forest began to turn from a dark black to a pale blue of the morning. Still his mother continued on walking and Toffee was slowly drifting off to sleep. Finally he was awoken when his mother suddenly stopped. Lifting his head Toffee was surprised to see that they were in the middle of a clearing with many flower buds all over the ground. At that moment the sun was slowly starting to creep up from the horizon.

His mother nodded at the flower buds. "Watch."

Toffee stared intently at the closed flowers as the sun slowly appeared. The child gasped in amazement when the rays of the sun touched the flowers and they began to slowly open up revealing various colors of purple, orange and white.

Cordelia smiled at her son's amazement and placed him down on the ground. "You can go pick some if you want."

Toffee looked up at his mother in excitement. "Can I?"

"Of course, in fact let's make this a game. Whoever picks the most flowers in different colors will be the winner."

Toffee grinned. "That sounds fun!"

Cordelia smiled. "All right then! Ready…Go!"

For the next hour, Toffee dashed back and forth through the clearing determined to pick the most flowers. He ran around searching for orange flowers, then white and then purple. Finally he had picked many flowers that his hand was unable to grasp onto all of them. He turned to his mother and waved towards her with his flowers.

"Is this enough mommy?"

His mother looked up from her own collection of flowers and smiled. "Yes Toffee, that is perfect! In fact, I think you won!"

Toffee gave a little jump of excitement. "I won! I won!"

Cordelia laughed and placed a hand on her son's head. "Slow down you little monster. You need to conserve your energy so you won't tire out so quickly."

Toffee's eyes widened. "There's more?"

"Yes, a lot more. We need to continue walking, but our destination is not too far. Can you handle it?"

"Yes!" Toffee nodded.

"Well then, come on!"

The child soon discovered it wasn't easy trying to follow his mother while carrying a huge array of flowers. The weight of the flowers caused him to stumble along the path and the petals brushed against his nose making it tickle and itch. After what seemed like hours Toffee was about to drop the flowers and scratch his nose when his mother stopped again.

"Here we are."

Toffee walked over to his mother's side and froze. They had reached a huge meadow and they were not the only ones. There were many different monsters mingling around the meadow talking to one another or walking slowly.

Cordelia took Toffee's hand and led him into the meadow. Passing by the monsters, some of them smiled warmly at Cordelia and nodded greetings towards her.

Finally the lizards reached a small knoll in the middle of the meadow and climbed to the top of it. Once reaching the top, Cordelia sat down and gestured Toffee to sit as well.

Confused, Toffee sat down and stared up at his mother who placed her flowers onto the ground. Toffee placed his flowers among his mothers and looked around the meadow. The monsters in the meadow were carrying flowers and placing them on the ground just like his mother had done but what Toffee noticed most was the fact that all of them seemed to be very sad. The monsters were speaking in hushed tones, some were weeping and the older ones were just standing listless gazing off into space as if recalling some terrible event that has happened.

A strange noise got Toffee's attention and when he saw what it was he was shocked.

His mother was weeping.

This frightened Toffee. He had never seen his mother weep before but now here she was, tears rolling down from her eyes and her shoulders trembling. Toffee immediately crawled onto his mother's lap placing a hand on her cheek.

"Mommy, why are you crying? Don't cry Mommy! Mommy!"

His mother brushed away her tears and held her son close. "Oh…I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

Toffee allowed his mother to hug him but there was still something he wanted to know.

"Mommy? Why is everyone so sad?"

Cordelia hesitated for awhile. Finally she took a deep breath.

"A very sad thing happened to monsters on this day, Toffee. Long ago, some bad Mewmans hurt many monsters and it is a very sad day for all of us."

There it was again…the mentioning of Mewmans. Toffee could hardly believe this. First Mewman children attacked him and now the Mewmans did a bad thing that made all the monsters sad.

There was one other question that had been nagging at him.

"Is…that what happened to Daddy?"

Cordelia stiffened when her child mentioned the father he had never met. The father who had always been there for her during her younger days and who was cruelly taken away from her long before they even found out she was carrying his child.

"Is that why Daddy's gone?" Toffee continued questioning.

Cordelia hugged him tighter. "Daddy isn't gone, Toffee. You see the monsters putting flowers?"

Toffee nodded.

"Those flowers help us remember those who had passed on. They protect the memories of loved ones and sometimes you can even feel their presence as long as you remember them."

Toffee tilted his head to one side in thought. "You think Daddy is here with us?"

Cordelia smiled and kissed her son's cheek. "I know he is here and he would be very proud to see you growing up safe and happy."

This made Toffee feel a lot better. He rested his head against his mother's chest before Cordelia spoke again.

"You asked me what I believed on why the birds sing, am I right?"

Toffee looked up and nodded.

Cordelia smiled. "I believe that it represents hope, Toffee. Even when it is dark and foreboding, the birds keep singing their beautiful songs to lead the sun into the sky and bring light. Always remember my son, even if the days are dark and despairing never allow hope to falter. Soon the Mewmans will leave us alone. You'll see."

Toffee didn't understand most of his mother's words but he did understand the idea of Mewmans leaving monsters alone forever and that made him smile.

Both mother and son remained on the knoll and watched the other monsters leave out flowers and reminders for their fallen friends and families.

Evening soon fell upon Mewni and miles away from the forest stood the great Mewni castle, home to the Butterfly family and the Mewmans.

While the monsters spent the day honoring their fallen comrades and kin, the Mewmans spent the day celebrating the most famous battle of the war, the Great Monster Massacre.

It was a day filled with music, epic tales of heroic Mewmans during the battle, and Mewmans under the age of 18 reenacting the massacre in front of a cheering audience.

Children ran around the streets some waving toy swords while they chased after those they had tagged "the monsters". Of course children weren't the only ones playing games. Some of the adults made their own competitions such as who was able to spear a wooden replica of a monster. Twenty points if the spear goes through the heart and fifty if it goes right between the eyes. Another fond game for adults was a head-slicing contest where they must slice as many sawdust filled head replicas of monsters.

However sawdust filled dummies and replicas were not enough for some of the Mewmans and when evening fell and the other Mewmans went off to go home to feast on corn, the more aggressive Mewmans remained behind in the town square chatting excitedly.

"Can't wait until we move out!"

"Ha ha, indeed! When I see those monsters, I'm gonna stick my blade right down their throats!"

"Ah, says you! I'm going to find the biggest one, slice its heads clean off and then mount it right above my own fireplace."

"I bet you I can get five monsters tonight."

"Five?! Make it ten!"

"Ten it is! And you, Graden?"

An eighteen year old freckled boy jumped at the sound of his name. "Uh, what?"

"How many monsters are you going to bash tonight?"

The boy shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably and blew a brown strand of hair away from his face. "Well I…I don't know if—"

"Don't tell me you're afraid of monsters?"

"Well—"

"Of course he isn't!"

A rather large man with a brown beard pushed his way towards Graden and thumped him across the back in an encouraging matter.

"My son is no coward!" He laughed unaware of his son landing face first onto the ground. "He will make all of Mewni proud by tearing the heart out of a fierce monster!"

"Dad!" Graden groaned as he picked himself up.

The soldiers laughed in amusement when suddenly one called out, "Quiet everyone! Quiet! The general has arrived!"

They fell silent as an armored covered soldier walked to the front of the horde and turned to face them. The general seemed a bit small compared to the other soldiers, Graden thought. He held his breath as the soldier took off the helmet and was surprised to see it was actually a woman underneath all that armor. A woman with dark gray hair with silver streaks running through it, cold blue eyes and red dagger symbols on both her cheeks.

With a chill running through his spine Graden knew that he was looking at General Boudica, sister of the queen and feared monster slayer in all of Mewni.

Everyone remained silent as Boudica slowly glanced around the soldiers assembled in front of her. Finally she spoke and her words were sharp as a sword.

"Today is a historical event. Today we shall remember those who had fallen against our monster enemies. Hundreds of years ago as they slaughtered many innocent Mewmans, our first queen rose up against the hated monsters and led her people to victory but still many of these monsters survived. They flourished and multiplied to create more monsters that still have the ridiculous belief that we are murderers when they are the real murderers!"

There was an outburst of agreement and angry shouts that came from the soldiers. Boudica waited until they settled down before continuing.

"No more will these monsters spread lies about the queen and our people! In honor of Mewnipendance Day, we shall march into the forest and we shall deal with the monster scum who threaten our very way of life! They shall pay for years of war! Any monster we come across, we shall get rid of it for our ancestors, for the queen and for our future!"

A great cheer erupted and there was the metallic sound of swords being drawn from their scabbards. Boudica went over to the warnicorn that was waiting for her and mounted it. She drew her broadsword and raised it up high.

"Come, my soldiers! In the name of Mewni, death to the monsters!"

With a roar, the soldiers ran after their general and they waved various weapons in the air. Graden meanwhile was running to keep up with the army, teeth clenched and heart beating in terror. Instead of a roar, the boy only muttered two sounds.

"Why me?"


	5. The Monster Massacre

_**Chapter 4: The Monster Massacre**_

Night had fallen upon the meadow where the monsters had gathered for the memorials of their fallen kind. However instead of grieving the monsters began to talk with one another, sharing fond memories and stories of the fallen monsters.

Several monsters had gone up to Cordelia and greeted her which led into conversations that didn't interest Toffee. As his mother greeted each monster that came up to her warmly and started talking, Toffee meanwhile was wandering nearby to look at the various flowers around the meadow. Eventually the young monster became bored with that as well and sat down on the ground. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out Asta and began to play with the owl doll.

"Great Monsters! I wasn't seeing things this morning! Look!"

Toffee looked up to see two monsters staring down at him in amazement. One was an insect-like monster with large bug-eyes, fierce pinchers and six legs. The other was a large wolf-like monster and his fanged jaws were hanging open in amazement.

Toffee felt uneasy at the way these two monsters were staring at him. "Umm…hello?"

"I don't believe it!" The wolf gasped. "He looks just like the General Ma'am!"

"You think he might be her boy?" The bug monster hissed.

"Could be!"

Toffee was becoming more suspicious of these two. Immediately he got up and started to go back towards his mother, clutching Asta close to him. Much to his discomfort the two monsters started to follow him. Finally he could stand it no longer and he began running towards his mother.

"MOMMY! STRANGERS!"

Cordelia was just saying goodbye to one monster when she heard her son's cries. She looked up in alarm to see her son running towards her but when she saw who the strangers were she instantly relaxed. She kneeled down on the ground and Toffee ran into her arms.

"It's all right dear," Cordelia comforted her son. "These two are old friends of mine."

Toffee glared at the bug and wolf monsters as they immediately halted in front of Cordelia and much to his confusion they saluted.

"General Ma'am!"

"Such an honor to see you again, General Ma'am!"

Cordelia sighed but she was smiling. "Jackal, Mace, it is good to see you as well. But please, call me Cordelia."

The wolf monster named Jackal, immediately nodded rapidly. "Yes General Ma'am—er, I mean Cordelia!"

The bug monster, Mace, looked down at Toffee who glared at him suspiciously. "Is that your son?"

Cordelia smiled and nodded. "Yes…his name is Toffee."

Jackal looked down at the suspicious child and grinned. "Ah, Ragard would have been proud of the boy."

Toffee blinked. Ragard? Who was Ragard?

"Yes," Cordelia said softly. "He would have been…" She shook her head and immediately changed the subject. "Jackal, Mace, how have you've been since the last memorial?"

"Same as always, Cordelia." Mace sighed. "Still struggling to find food, but most nights we eat nothing but bark."

"Bark isn't the most nutritious food there is," Jackal whined, "if only we could get some corn…"

"Mommy?"

Cordelia frowned at her son. "Toffee, it is not polite to interrupt."

"But mommy," Toffee protested, "I just wanted to know what those are."

He pointed up at the sky where a black mass was making its way towards the monsters gathered in the meadow. The chattering of the monsters stopped suddenly and all the monsters became still as the black mass came closer and closer.

Eventually the black mass came close enough that Toffee could now see what it was. It was a huge gathering of crows flying desperately away from the forest and cawing in terror.

 _"Mewmans! Mewmans! Mewmans are coming!"_

A cry of terror erupted from the monsters and some began to run off in different directions.

"We must escape! Run!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Stop!"

Some of the monsters froze at Cordelia's yell. The female lizard glared at everyone. "We must not let panic cloud our minds! Stay together and we might be able to escape them!"

A scrawny centipede monster immediately crawled out from the crowd, eyes wide and terrified. "It's no use! We're surrounded! They're everywhere!"

At that moment the monsters heard the sounds of shouting and wild laughter along with the thunderous hoof beats of the warnicorns coming closer.

Cordelia immediately picked up Toffee and turned towards the other monsters. "Do not panic! Follow me and we'll escape them!"

Cordelia immediately headed towards the trees with the monsters following close behind. Toffee shut his eyes tightly, wanting the terrible sounds of shouting and laughing to end.

He heard someone muttering in the crowd, "Don't lose your head…stay calm…do not lose your head!"

Suddenly there was a loud explosion and everyone cried out in terror. Toffee heard a fluttering of wings and then a hissing noise. Toffee opened his eyes just in time to see a vulture monster fall to the ground from the sky with an arrow sticking out from its chest. Right at that moment the monsters panicked and they all rushed forward in desperation. There were more hissing noises, more thuds of fallen bodies and the laughing and roaring of the Mewmans became louder.

Cordelia clutched Toffee closer to her and she immediately began to run. It was if the world became a blur to the young child. He saw several monsters run past them but he couldn't see who they were. He heard screams of terror and pain mixed in with the awful noise of Mewmans roaring and laughing. Finally they reached the forest but Cordelia continued on running with her son in her arms. Suddenly Cordelia felt a blast of fiery pain and she fell to the ground with a crash. Toffee yelped in terror as his mother released her hold on him and he rolled onto the ground. Sitting up he was horrified to see his mother slowly attempting to crawl towards him and it wasn't until she got closer that he saw that one of her legs had been blown off.

"Mommy!"

He immediately crawled over to his mother. "Mommy! Can you get up?"

Cordelia glanced back at her lower body and winced in pain. "I don't understand…my leg won't…"

She immediately looked up and cried out, "Somebody! Please! Help us!"

It was a risky move but Cordelia felt she had no choice. Somebody was running towards them and Cordelia immediately pulled Toffee closer to her.

"General Ma'am!"

The reptilian mother immediately relaxed. "Jackal!"

The wolf skidded to a stop in front of Cordelia and saluted. "Do not worry! I'll carry both of you to safety!"

"No, just him."

Toffee stared at his mother. "What? No, Mommy! I want to stay with you!"

Cordelia reached over and placed a hand on her son's cheek. "Jackal will take care of you, Toffee. I will only slow you down."

The child felt his eyes stinging with unshed tears. "B-but I don't wanna leave you!"

"Please my son!" Cordelia begged. "Do what I say and escape with Jackal!"

There was another explosion and the roars of the Mewmans became louder. Jackal began to pace back and forth in panic, eyes wide and ears perked forward as the Mewman army came closer.

"Jackal!"

Jackal snapped out of his panic at the sound of Cordelia's voice. "General Ma'am?"

Cordelia looked up at Jackal. "Please keep him safe, Jackal. As your general…I order you to keep him safe."

Jackal nodded. "I will do my best! Come on, child."

"Wait!"

Toffee immediately dug into his pocket and pulled out Asta. He handed Asta towards his mother and blinked back tears. "Asta can help you Mommy. He'll protect you."

Tears were streaming down Cordelia's eyes as she smiled and brushed Toffee's hair away from his face. "Thank you, my son. I promise to keep him safe and we'll meet each other soon."

Toffee swallowed a lump in his throat. "Okay…"

Jackal immediately grabbed Toffee and started running. Toffee looked over Jackal's shoulder to watch his mother grow smaller and smaller as they ran farther away from her.

Suddenly a wave of panic and grief overcame him and he began to kick and fight.

"No! It's not okay! Mommy! Don't leave, mommy! MOMMY!"

Jackal tightened his hold on Toffee as he bounded through the undergrowth, clenching his jaws as Toffee continued on kicking and fighting. He had to find a way out of here. Find a place where they will be safe. But where?!

"Oy! Wolf!"

Jackal skidded to a stop at the sound of someone yelling. From beneath a log a hand was waving towards him. "Over here!"

Jackal bared his fangs. "Who are you? Friend or Mewman?"

A head popped out from the underneath the log. It was Hortense and she glared murderously at Jackal. "It's me, you moron! Get over here quick!"

Jackal gave a sigh of relief and immediately ran towards the log. He shoved Toffee underneath the log before scrambling after him. The log was in fact covering a ravine that was big enough for two monsters and a small monster child.

Hortense folded her arms in front of her and glared at Jackal. "So…it is just the two of us now."

"Three…" Jackal corrected.

Toffee immediately stood up and tried to climb out from the ravine. "We gotta go! Mommy is still there! She—"

"Child, stop that!" Hortense hissed as she grabbed the young child monster. "It's not safe out there! Mewmans are everywhere!"

"I don't care!" Toffee snarled as he struggled against Hortense's grip. "Mommy's alone and she needs help!"

"Cordelia has survived worse than this," Jackal tried to reason with the child. "She can survive this."

"I…DON'T…CARE!" Toffee yelled. "I'm going to save Mommy!"

"Child," Hortense growled. "Do not make me—"

She shrieked in pain as Toffee lunged forward and sank his teeth into the elderly monster's hand causing her to release her grip on him. Toffee dashed out from the ravine and ran into the forest, ignoring the shouts of Jackal and Hortense.

"Toffee! Stop! Come back here!"

"Get back here you idiot child! GET BACK HERE!"

Toffee ran blindly through the thick undergrowth, ignoring the scratches and cuts on his skin. He didn't care about getting hurt. He just wanted to find his mother. He could see something up ahead and he ran faster.

"Mommy!"

Reaching the object Toffee stopped when he saw it wasn't his mother. It was the headless body of Mace. The child took a few steps back away in horror. Just recently he had seen this monster walking and talking but now here he was lifeless with the prints of both Mewman and warnicorns surrounding his body.

The sounds of roars and thunder had died down leaving an eerie silence in the forest. Taking a deep breath, Toffee ran off towards the opposite direction towards where he believed he saw his mother last. As he searched he saw no sign that Mewmans were still around. They must have left to go back to their castle but still their vengeful destruction remained in the forest.

Toffee saw feathers scattered everywhere, footprints of the Mewmans, hoofprints of warnicorns, and worst of all he stumbled upon several bodies of monsters. Some with heads, some without.

Thankfully none of them were his mother and this made Toffee even more determined to find her. Toffee continued on running through the forest until he could run no longer. He started to walk but his feet were beginning to ache and he was exhausted. He didn't know how long he spent searching but eventually he heard the sounds of birds singing.

The dawn chorus…a sign of hope.

"Mommy?" Toffee called out feebly.

There was no response except the songs of the birds.

"Mommy…" Toffee sobbed. "Mommy, where are you?"

Exhaustion overcame the child. He slowly sank onto the grass and began to sob. The event of what had happened last night was still fresh in his memory. He wanted nothing more than to be home being awakened by his mother. He wanted his mother. He wanted to hear her comforting voice, feel her protective arms around him in a hug, and hear her singing the song she always sang to him.

"Mommy…"

A snap of a twig caused Toffee to look up in alarm. Something was heading towards him.

"Mommy?" Toffee whispered in anticipation. Did the bird's dawn chorus allowed his wish to come true?

Toffee's hope dashed into despair. It was not his mother.

Three hooded figures stepped out from the bushes and remained standing, staring at the young child in silence. Toffee gasped when one started to go towards him. Feeling around for a weapon, Toffee grabbed onto a large stone and threw it at the hooded figure.

"Get away!"

The figure stopped as the stone bounced harmlessly on the ground. It raised a hand towards Toffee.

"Easy there, little one."

Toffee desperately grabbed another stone and held it up threateningly. "Leave me alone or I'll…I'll hit you!"

"Easy there, child…easy…"

Exhaustion and shock overcame the child. His sight became blurry and he felt himself falling and soon blackness overcame his senses.

At the edge of the forest the Mewman army was just leaving with their armor stained red, green and different colors of monster blood. A couple of warnicorns were pulling a cartload of dead monsters and the heads of some of the monsters while some of the soldiers were laughing and bragging about the monsters they had vanquished.

"Did you see the look on the face of that one pig monster?"

"Ha! He was struck dumb when that sword ran through his fat belly!"

"My sword broke when I tried to cleave that ogre in two…"

"Ahh don't worry about it! The blacksmith can make a better one!"

Boudica rode ahead of the army, smiling proudly at the successful raid against the monsters. Less monsters for Mewni to worry about.

From the corner of her eye she noticed a young teenage boy slowly walking alongside her.  
"Boy?"

The boy looked up in alarm.

"You're Graden, am I right?"

"Umm…" Graden gulped. "Yes, General Boudica."

"Wasn't this your first monster hunt?"

"Yes…it was, but I didn't…well I uh…I wasn't able to—"

Boudica raised a hand to silence him. "Do not worry about it. It is hard to catch a monster on your first hunt. However you will be able to slaughter many monsters just like the rest of us and make the queen proud."

"Mmph," Graden shrugged. A caw made him look up. All over the trees crows were perched on branches and cawing towards the army.

"General Boudica?" Graden whispered. "The crows…they are—"

"Oh don't worry about them." Boudica interrupted. "They are always around after a monster hunt. They pick off the remains of the monsters. A victory for us and a feast for them."

Graden gulped again as the Mewman army continued on towards home.

The crows continued on cawing at them and Graden was sure he could hear words in these caws.

 _"Murderers!"_

 _"Killers!"_

 _"Murderers!"_


	6. Melchior

_**Chapter 5: Melchior**_

A fierce pounding of the head was what caused Toffee to slowly come back to consciousness. The blackness slowly turned into light and he could hear murmurs and whispers which sounded so far away. The light faded into duller colors and soon he could make out his surroundings. He was laying on a bed in a small room where there was nothing but a heavy curtain blocking the entrance. The voices became louder and he could make out what was being said.

"And how is the child?"

"Exhausted…but he'll be all right."

Toffee uttered a groan and the curtain was soon pushed aside and a monster entered the room.

The monster had a fox like snout, large pointed ears like a rabbit and was wearing a brown robe. She went over to Toffee's side and placed a cool rag on his forehead.

"There, there," She cooed. "Don't be scared little one. You're safe now."

"Mommy…" Toffee cried weakly. "Where's Mommy?"

"Hush," The monster tried to comfort the child. "You need rest."

"Where's Mommy?"

The monster bit her bottom lip and her eyes glanced to the side. Finally she turned around and left the room leaving Toffee alone.

"He's asking for his mother," Toffee heard her say. "What should I tell him?"

"Let me speak to him."

"But your majesty—"

"Nadia…let me speak to him."

There was a pause before the curtain was pushed aside once again and another monster stepped into the room. This new monster had a cat-like face and ears and large bat wings on his back. A violet cloak was fastened around his neck by a small skull but the one thing that caught Toffee's eye was the wooden crown on top of the monster's head. The new monster's teal eyes narrowed with interest at the young lizard child which made Toffee's heart pound.

The monster slowly walked over to the bed and Toffee pressed himself against the wall in a futile attempt to escape this monster.

The monster raised his hand and Toffee immediately bared his teeth and growled. The monster hesitated before smiling.

"Quite a brave child, aren't you? That's good…"

"Where's my mommy?" Toffee asked. "Where is she?"

The monster lowered his hand and smiled gently at the child.

"Hush child, it is all right. You are safe now. As the king, I will do my best to protect you."

Toffee was getting angrier by the second. He didn't care if this was the king. He wanted his mother. Toffee sat up and bared his teeth at the king.

"Where is my Mommy?!" He demanded. "I want her back!"

The king folded his arms across his chest and calmly stared at Toffee. When he spoke his voice was calm, firm, but also with a hint of gentleness.

"Your mother was taken by the Mewmans, child. She will never return and you will never see her again. We are your family now and we will protect you and care for you like she would have wanted."

The king continued to speak but his words meant nothing to Toffee. The child stood frozen in shock at these words.

His mother…was gone?

"No…" Toffee whispered. He looked up at the king, desperate to see some sort of facial expression to suggest that he was only joking and that his mother was behind the curtain and will come in as a surprise for him. The monster's face remained stoic.

"No!" Toffee repeated louder and the tears began to spill from his eyes. "She can't be dead! She can't! We're immortal! She said so!"

The king said nothing and Toffee's panic boiled over. His mind went blank with the only thing on his mind was to find his mother immediately. Toffee leapt out of the bed and ran towards the curtain. The curtain was pushed open and the female monster, Nadia, entered to grab Toffee before he could escape.

"Let me go!" Toffee yelled as he tossed and kicked. "I want to find Mommy!"

"Child, please," Nadia begged as she struggled to control him, "Calm down!"

"No!" Toffee continued fighting. "Mommy! I want Mommy!"

"Hand him over here."

Nadia glanced at the king. "But sir—"

One look from him made her hand the child over and to her amazement the king wrapped his arms around Toffee and pulled him into a hug.

This did nothing.

Toffee continued on kicking and even began slamming his fist against the king's chest, desperate to escape the king's clutches. Something snapped inside of the child and Toffee immediately turned his head and sank his teeth into the king's paw.

Nadia gave a gasp of horror. "Your majesty!"

The king said nothing as Toffee sank his teeth deeper. Toffee felt him pat his back gently and his low voice whispered, "There, there, child…you're safe now. We'll protect you."

Toffee hated his voice. He hated this king, hated how he said that his mother was never coming back, and absolutely hated how this stranger was hugging him instead of his mother.

But at the same time…the king's words were working.

Toffee released his hold on the king's paw and immediately began sobbing. He buried his face into the king's chest and released all the terror and grief he experienced the night before.

Nadia watched in awe as the king sat on the bed and hugged the lizard child, patting his back gently and murmuring calming words while the child trembled and sobbed.

Eventually the sobs slowly calmed into sniffs. Toffee rested his head against the king's chest and it was then he noticed the king's wound.

"D-did I do that?" Toffee whispered in surprise.

"It's all right, child." The king reassured him. "I understand your grief. No matter what you do, I will love you and care for you like any other father would."

Father.

That word caused Toffee to close his eyes. Was this how a father was like? He opened his eyes and looked up at the smiling gentle face of the king.

Was this how his own father would have been like if he had lived?

Nadia's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"King Melchior…your way with the orphans…it is amazing."

"One must be gentle with children after they experienced brutal attacks from the Mewmans," King Melchior explained as he continued on stroking Toffee's back. "He will stay here for the next couple of days so he can rest and heal. Then, he shall be introduced to the other children."

Toffee blinked at these words.

Other children?

 _A/N: Updates on this fanfic will go slowly due to school starting up. But I will update as soon as I can! I'm determined to finish this by November._


	7. Alone

_**Chapter 6: Alone**_

Toffee spent the rest of the next two days resting in the room. It was a peaceful two days that consisted of him sleeping and eating the meals Nadia brought him. Nadia was nice enough. She would tell him stories of historical monsters and would remain with him for a while and just talk. Toffee learned that Nadia was part of a group known as "Mothers", female monsters who took care of the orphaned children and watched over them like a real mother. Toffee grew to like Nadia but still despite her visits and the knowledge that she was considered a mother, he deeply missed his real mother. He shared this several times with Nadia but she always said the same thing.

"It is all right, little one. Your mother may be gone, but we will take care of you. This is your home now."

Even though he had heard this many times, it still did not comfort Toffee in anyway nor lessened the ache for his mother.

Finally on the morning of the third day Nadia came to his room as usual with breakfast but her smile was wider than usual.

"Today is a very important day, dear child." She announced as she placed the bowl of porridge in front of Toffee. "Do you know why?"

Toffee's eyes lit up with excitement. "Did you find my mother? Is she here right now?"

Nadia continued on smiling though the corner of her lips twitched slightly. "No, child. We have not found your mother. Today is the day where you will join the other children in the orphanage."

"Oh…" Toffee's excitement vanished and was replaced by disappointment.

Nadia patted the child's head calmly. "Do not be upset, child. You will get to meet other children who are like you. Perhaps you might make some new friends."

"I don't want new friends," Toffee mumbled. "I want to find my mother."

Nadia sat next to Toffee and stroked his back to comfort him. "I understand how hard it is to lose a mother, but if you want…I can be your mother if you'd like."

Toffee frowned. Nadia was nice enough and he really did like her…but she still wasn't his mother. The only answer he could give was a halfhearted shrug.

Nadia gently pushed the bowl of porridge towards Toffee. "Eat your breakfast, child. You need your strength for this special day."

Toffee uttered a sigh but he did as he was told. He did feel a bit better after finishing his breakfast and took Nadia's hand as she pushed open the curtain and stepped out into the hallway. The hallway's walls and floor were entirely made of stone and there were a couple of stalagmites at each end. Nadia led Toffee to the right and they walked down several stone corridors. The corridors were cool and Toffee heard an occasional drip of water. Lanterns were placed on the walls so that the corridors were alit and every so often they walked under a beam of sunlight that shone through a crack on the ceiling.

"Are we in a castle?" Toffee asked.

"No, child." Nadia answered. "Castles are too dangerous for us monsters. The Mewmans might find us. We live in a system of tunnels that lead to caverns and caves with the orphanage being inside a mountain. No Mewman will find us this way and praise Eclipsa that they will never imagine a mountain being used as an orphanage."

"You mean we can't go back outside?" Toffee felt his throat tighten with fear at the thought of never seeing the sun or playing in the grass again.

"Do not worry, child." Nadia replied gently. "There is an outdoor area for the orphans so that they can play and get some fresh air, guarded fiercely by our best soldiers."

Toffee felt a bit better at this new information.

Eventually the corridor lead to a cavern where there were many passageways leading to different directions. Toffee stopped dead in his tracks and pointed to a large statue in the middle of the cavern.

"Who is that?"

Nadia paused and looked up at the granite statue that depicted a female Mewman wearing a long black dress with a cravat and a large sun hat with feathers and a twig. The Mewman was holding up a closed parasol which had bat wings, an orb and a crescent moon. What was most noticeable about this Mewman statue was that the Mewman had spades on both of her cheeks.

Nadia inhaled sharply and tugged Toffee along. "Come on child, we must continue on."

"But the statue—"

"You will learn about it when you're older," Nadia said. "Now come on."

Toffee had no other choice but to let Nadia pull him along down another corridor.

Finally they came upon another a large cavern but what was different about this cavern was the large balcony built upon one of the walls and several tapestries hung from the walls all around them along with torches that made the cavern glow a soft orange.

Toffee heard others coming in and looking around he saw more female monsters wearing the same brown robes as Nadia, possibly the Mothers Nadia had mentioned. Walking alongside them were more monster children. Toffee could hardly believe so many children were found on the same day he was found.

The children and Mothers gathered in the cavern and besides the nervous whispering between the children the room was entirely silent. A sob coming besides Toffee caused him to glance over and was amazed to see that the child who sobbed was a reptile like him. She was a cobra-like monster with pale yellow scales and amber eyes which were widened in terror. The child noticed Toffee staring at her and immediately ducked her head down with a whimper of terror. Toffee immediately turned his attention back to the balcony, his cheeks heating up with shame for scaring her. Finally someone appeared on the balcony above them.

It was King Melchior.

The king looked down upon the gathered monsters and smiled. "Welcome, my children! Welcome to Eclipsa's Sanctuary for Grieving Monsters. This will be your new home from now on. Your family and friends are no longer able to take care of you. They were all destroyed because of the brutal holiday Mewmans call 'Mewnipendance Day' but to us known as the Great Monster Massacre. Thanks to these Mewmans, you are all orphans now."

It still bothered Toffee to be called an orphan. Orphan meant your parents were dead and Toffee was certain his mother was not dead. After all, reptile monsters were immortal! However by the looks and sobs of some of the children gathered around, including the cobra child next to him, Toffee's feelings were not mutual.

"It is a tragedy," King Melchior continued, "but by the mercy of Eclipsa, you have all been rescued and brought to her sanctuary. I know that you all miss your families, but soon enough you will understand that we are your family now. In time, you will repay our queen with your services. Some of you will be soldiers. Others will follow of the ways of Eclipsa's sect. All shall serve the queen of darkness."

It was the most confusing thing Toffee had ever heard. What does 'massacre' even mean? He already had a home in the forest, why was this considered his new home? What is a sect? And who on Mewni was this Eclipsa person?

Melchior then clasped his paws together and announced, "Mothers! Take the children to the orphanage."

The Mothers replied in unison, "Yes, your majesty."

The children were then made to follow the Mothers into another corridor and Toffee noticed the corridor sloped upwards. Finally they reached a long hallway where a statue of a large monster with large tusks and shaggy fur stood in one corner, a statue of a female cat-like monster with a crown stood in the other corner, and in between the two was a statue of the same Mewman Toffee saw in the cavern though smaller than the first.

The children were herded into a large room on the left and the children gasped at what they saw.

The room was filled with even more children, all playing with toys or each other. Some of the playing children stopped to take a look at the new ones before continuing on with what game they were playing. One of the Mothers smiled at the new children and waved a hand towards the room.

"Supper will be served in a short while, children. In the meantime, go and enjoy yourselves. I'm sure you will all make new friends soon."

Some of the more confident children immediately went off to explore and play while the others hesitated for a bit before slowly joining in.

Only Toffee remained standing by himself. He looked over to where Nadia stood and to his dismay she had already left with the other Mothers.

Now he was truly alone.

At this moment he desperately wished he had Asta with him. At least he wouldn't feel too nervous if he had him. But Asta was with his mother so he must try his best without him. He wandered around the room and many of the children stared at him which made his uneasiness worsen. He didn't know who they were. How can he say anything to them?

Eventually he found himself in one corner of the room where a bookshelf stood. Selecting one of the books, Toffee sat down in the corner and began to look through it. Even though he tried to concentrate on the book, he heard several children whispering.

"Hey, guys…who's that?"

"Huh?"

"That new kid over there…is he a visitor?"

"I seriously doubt it…"

"Well considering where we are at the moment…it's possibly that he's one of us…"

"Which is?"

"He's an orphan…like us."

It was too much for the child. Toffee immediately closed the book and set it to the side, desperate to blink back tears. He was not an orphan! He had a mother who was looking for him. She'll find him soon. She'll find him.

Toffee brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face into his arms. He tried his best to keep the tears of loneliness and fear at bay. This was not the time to start crying. He had to be brave for his mother.

Unfortunately the thought of his mother allowed one single tear to escape his eye and more followed. While the children played and made new friends, one was alone in a corner of loneliness and aching grief.


	8. Anima

_**Ch 7: Anima**_

"Hi there!"

Toffee lifted his head at the sound of a new voice. A monster child was kneeling in front of him and staring at him. She was gray with light green markings that started from her forehead and went down her neck and back. Her tail had dark green stripes, small bat wings on her back and stubby horns growing on her head. The monster gave a huge smile at Toffee.

"What's your name?"

"I…" Toffee stammered. "I, uh—"

"Helle!" A new voice called out. "What are you doing?"

The monster looked behind her shoulder and waved. "Just saying hi!"

Another child came over to the two of them and Toffee was amazed to see that he was a reptile just like himself, a green one with darker green fins running down from his neck. However Toffee noticed that the child's feet were hooves. A reptile with hooves? How strange.

"Sorry about my sister," The new child apologized to Toffee. "She tends to run around like crazy."

"Pfft!" Helle rolled her eyes. "Better than being boring." She turned back towards Toffee. "Just ignore him. Phrixus can be boring."

The monster child, Phrixus, rolled his eyes as Helle asked, "So, what is your name?"

"Ummm…" Toffee gulped. "My name is Toffee."

"That's a funny name!" Helle giggled.

"Not as funny as Helle." Phrixus snorted causing his sister to glare at him. "So Toffee, is this your first day here?"

Toffee nodded.

"Well, you don't need to worry." Phrixus reassured. "We just stay here all day. The bigger kids go to classes two times a day but then they come back here and stay here until it's time to eat."

"Do you go to classes?" Toffee asked.

"Not yet," Helle answered. "But one of the Mothers said we will go next year."

"Oh."

At that moment a small bell was rang and two children stopped what they were doing and ran over to the Mother who had rung the bell.

Phrixus grabbed Helle's arm and started to pull her up. "There's the dinner preparation bell. We have to go."

"Dinner preparation?" Toffee blinked.

"Uh-huh!" Helle nodded. "Four kids are chosen to help with the dinner. We've been doing it for three days and its fun! Your turn will come soon."

"C'mon Helle!" Phrixus urged his sister. "We can't be late!"

"Wait!" Toffee yelped. "What am I supposed to do here by myself?"

"You'll be okay." Phrixus said. "The other kids aren't that bad."

"Except Anima…"

Toffee blinked. "Who's Anima?"

"She's another kid here," Helle told him, "She claims that she's a noble monster but she's really mean and a huge bully. She's not a real noble at all!"

"Helle," Phrixus hissed. "We have to go now!"

"Okay, okay!" Helle growled in annoyance. She turned towards Toffee again. "Make sure to stay away from her! She's really mean."

"Helle!"

"I'm going!"

Toffee watched as Helle and Phrixus hurried over to the children who were chosen to help with dinner and left the play area. He didn't know what to think of them. They seemed nice…a little strange but nice. Standing up Toffee began to wander around again, his mind still on the thought of this Anima monster. Looking around the room the other children were happily playing with one another and lost in their own games. That is except for one monster sitting near the corner and watching the others. This monster was cat-like with a tawny colored pelt and fierce yellow eyes. She had brown fur tufts on the tip of her ears and her tail flicked back and forth as she silently watched the crowd of children.

Was this Anima? The monster child that was so mean and snobby? She didn't look that mean. Maybe Helle had it all wrong. If she was by herself, she must be lonely. Toffee smiled. The Mothers did say to make friends. Maybe he can make his first friend.

The lizard child went over to the cat and smiled cheerfully.

"Hi Anima."

The cat looked up and stared at the lizard in confusion. "Who are you? Did we meet before?"

"No," Toffee responded. "Two kids mentioned your name and I wanted to say hello."

"Oh."

"My name is Toffee."

"Mm-hmmm…" Anima didn't sound interested.

"The Mothers found me." Toffee went on. "It was after…the Monster Massacre. My real mother is missing, but I know she'll find me soon."

"Fascinating," Anima yawned. "Blah, blah, blah."

Toffee felt a twinge of dislike towards the tawny colored monster.

"How did you know about me?" Anima suddenly asked.

"Two of the kids told me about you." Toffee answered. "Helle and…Phrixus…I think."

"And they said I'm not a noble monster, didn't they?"

"Well…"

"Well they're lying!" Anima snapped. "They're just jealous that I'm a noble and they're nothing but orphans. They are wrong! I am a noble monster!"

"Really?" Toffee stared at her in amazement. "Who were your parents?"

Amina paused and smiled at him. "Well, I don't know…but just look at me! My mother and father must be a king and queen of a large beautiful land!"

Toffee didn't know what to say about this. He was beginning to see what Helle meant about Anima. Perhaps it was best to change the subject.

"Um, do you know why we're here?"

"Huh?"

"Why are we here? What is the king going to do with us?"

"Oh, well we're orphans so the king just lets us stay here. The older children usually go to classes in the mornings and afternoons but most of the time we stay here until we get bigger."

"And what happens to the children when they get bigger?"

"Oh, they leave the orphanage and start going to training school." Anima explained. "They train until they grow up and then they go out to fight the Mewmans. Some are even lucky enough to become generals if they fight bravely, but so far none of them had lasted long and many of them die due to Mewmans."

A smug smile came upon her face. "If you ask me, it's better that way. The sooner the generals die, the quicker the king will choose a new general, maybe he might pick us someday! If I was a general, I would be a lot better than those who were killed."

Toffee frowned, unnerved by Anima's disregard for the other monsters. "That's a horrible thing to say."

Anima rolled her eyes. "Pfft, what do you know?"

Toffee was beginning to dislike Amina more and more. Suddenly Amina's eyes narrowed and her smile became wider.

"Follow me."

"Huh?'

"I said follow me!" Amina hissed as she started to walk into the crowd of children. Toffee followed after her and he was surprised to notice the other children moving away from Anima when she passed by as if they didn't want to get in her way. Some even gave him a fearful look as if he was now Amina's friend. Toffee then saw who Anima had been watching.

It was the same little cobra girl monster and she was sitting with her back against the wall and playing with a small clay dragon figure. Sitting next to her was a child Toffee hadn't seen before. He was larger than the cobra child with a long neck and a horse-like head with a mane and horse-like tail. At the tip of his nose was a small stub of a horn and his back legs were those of a horse. However a light colored stripe running down his muzzle made Toffee suspect he wasn't a child of first rate intelligence. In fact the child had some paint and was writing the letters A, B, C, and D on a scroll of paper. The two children looked up and the cobra child's hood flared a bit in panic at the sight of a sly looking cat smiling down at her with another lizard child standing behind the cat. The other child meanwhile looked down at the ground and continued on writing the letters A, B, C, and D.

"Hello there, Kerr." Anima greeted cheerfully. "Practicing your letters? Have you've learned any other letters besides the first four? Or did you forget already?"

The large child, Kerr, looked up at Anima before looking down again and muttered. "I've learned E, F, G and H once…"

"Oh yes, that's right, I forgot." Anima giggled. "Just like how you forgot about the first four letters afterwards."

She turned towards Toffee with a grin. "Kerr is the stupidest child here. It's really funny."

Kerr's ears flattened at this insult but Anima's attention focused on the little cobra child who shrank back in fear.

"That is an interesting toy you have there," Anima purred.

"Oh," The cobra child looked down at her clay doll. "Thank you."

"Yes, really nice. You should hand it over."

"What?" The child stared at Anima in disbelief. "Why?"

"You may not know it," Anima continued smiling, "but I am a noble monster and I deserve the best. So hand your toy over."

"No!" The child clutched the doll closer to her. "It's mine! My mother gave it to me!"

A wave of sympathy came over Toffee when he heard this. His thoughts went over to his old owl toy, Asta, and how he would have been devastated if he was forced to give him away to someone he barely knew. Maybe the ceramic dragon was like Asta to this little girl.

"Anima," Toffee spoke up. "Maybe you should let her keep it."

"Be quiet!" Anima snapped before turning back towards the cobra child. "I was being nice to you, but now you're being rude. Hand it over now."

Before the child could say anything else, Anima suddenly lashed out and grabbed the dragon ceramic toy and attempted to pull it towards her. The cobra girl immediately pulled back and a struggle ensued.

"Stop it!" The cobra child cried out. "You're being mean!"

"You had your chance to do this peacefully!" Anima snapped. "You let go!"

Toffee looked around and was stunned to see the other children were ignoring what was happening as if not wanting to get involved. He looked back at Anima and the other girl and felt a wave of anger at how Anima was treating this girl and how she treated Kerr.

"Anima!" Toffee shouted. "Stop it!"

Anima ignored him and finally she managed to snatch the dragon toy away from the owner. She studied it for a moment before snorting. "I had better toys than this, but it'll do."

"Give it back!" The cobra child stood up and attempted to snatch her toy back but Anima shoved her back down.

"Don't worry," Anima smiled sweetly. "As a noble monster, I will be fair and let you see the toy once in awhile. It's not like you're not going to see it ever again."

The cobra child glared angrily at Anima and once again struggled to get up. Toffee couldn't stand it any longer. He walked past Anima and held out his hand towards the cobra child. The girl stared at him in disbelief and wariness. Toffee merely smiled at her which seemed to have an effect. She took his hand and Toffee helped her up. The cobra looked back at Anima and hissed angrily, "You're not a noble monster. Noble monsters do not steal from others. You're just a big bully."

Anima's eyes flashed with anger. She stepped closer to the child and bared her fangs.

"I am too a noble!" She snarled. "I am far better than any of you so your toy, game, or anything you have belongs to me if I want it! I was trying to ask you nicely, but I don't even want your stupid toy anymore."

With that, Anima held out the clay dragon towards the girl and Toffee breathed a sigh of relief now that the conflict has been resolved.

The little cobra child reached out to take her toy but Anima immediately released her hold and the dragon toy shattered upon the stone floor. The child wailed in grief and Toffee could scarcely believe what he just witnessed. Anima merely kicked the shattered pieces towards them and glared at the cobra.

"Now you see what happens when you challenge a noble like me."

And with that, Anima walked off.

The cobra child knelt on the floor and burst into tears as she gathered the shattered pieces into a pile. Kerr immediately knelt by her side and helped her find some of the remaining pieces.

"We can fix it, Damini. We can find something that can put the pieces back together."

"Damini?" Toffee looked over at the cobra girl. "Is that your name?"

Damini sniffed and glared at the lizard child. "Why would you like to know? Aren't you going after that…that…thing?!"

Toffee frowned and shook his head. "No…you are right. She's not a noble monster. She's a bully."

Kerr looked up from collecting the pieces and blinked at Toffee. "And who are you?"

"My name is Toffee."

Kerr blinked again. "Is that really your name?"

"Yes…" Toffee felt his face heat up with annoyance. Was his name really that odd?

Kerr then stood up and Toffee was shocked to realize he was a lot bigger than he thought, towering two heads taller than him. Kerr held out a paw and smiled. "My name is Kerr. If you're not Anima's friend…do you want to be our friend?"

Damini narrowed her eyes at Kerr. "Why should he be our friend if he was with Anima?"

"He did try to tell her to stop," Kerr pointed out.

Damini hissed and glared down at her shattered toy. Toffee took an awkward step closer towards her. "I'm sorry about your toy…" He whispered to her. "I know how it feels like…losing something that reminds you of…home."

Damini blinked and stared at him in confusion. "Did…you lose something as well?"

Toffee nodded. "Asta…my owl. He's with my mother but…I don't know where she is."

Damini's expression softened at these words. "My mother is gone too."

Kerr immediately pulled the two closer towards him for a comforting hug. "It's all right. We're friends now and we don't have to be sad anymore. We just have to work hard at being happy again."

Toffee wanted to roll his eyes at this naïve monster, but his tone of voice was so optimistic that Toffee couldn't help but smile and even through her tears Damini began to giggle as well.

For the first time ever since he came here, Toffee no longer felt alone in this new place.

 _A/N: Anima is such a charming little monster, isn't she? No, she is not the cat monster seen in Toffee's army in "Moon the Undaunted". They are both different characters in this story._

 _ **EDIT:** Also edited this chapter because I just saw how weird it looked! My apologies for it!_


	9. Spark of Justice

_**Ch 8: Spark of Justice**_

For the next hour or so Toffee got acquainted with his two new companions. The three of them sat together in the corner and used Kerr's paint and scrolls to paint several pictures and talked. Toffee learned that while larger than other children, Kerr was actually a gentle monster who had been in the orphanage for a few months due to finding his family dead one morning.

Damini wasn't even a native born Mewni Monster. She and her parents used to live in a lush jungle across the sea where her family had lived for countless of generations. Her parents were avid travelers and they had been visiting the Mewni forest when they had been ambushed by the Mewni Queen's guards during the Monster Massacre. If it hadn't been for her mother shoving her into a hollow log then Damini would have been slaughtered along with her family.

"But how come your family didn't regenerate?" Toffee asked her. "I thought all reptile monsters can do that."

"I don't know…" Damini admitted. "I think my mother said we were a lower class of reptile monsters…ones that cannot regenerate like the higher classes."

This new piece of information astonished Toffee. His mother had never mentioned anything about lower class of reptiles or higher class. What type of class was he in? Was his mother a higher class? He hoped so.

A bell rang and the children immediately stopped playing and raced towards the door. Kerr wiped his paws clean and stood up. "That's the dinner bell. We'd better line up or else we won't get any."

Toffee and Damini followed Kerr to stand in line and soon a couple of the Mothers came in and led the children out into the hallway and up the stairs. They reached the second floor where they were led to a washroom on the right.

The children gathered around the sinks and began to wash their hands and faces. When they were done they went over to the Mothers who inspected them.

"Shame on you!" One Mother scolded Toffee as she inspected his hands. "You didn't wash between your fingers."

"I did so!" Toffee protested.

"Insolence will not be tolerated!" The Mother scolded again. "Go wash your hands."

Ignoring the snickering from the other children who had passed inspection, Toffee walked back over to the sink and began to wash his hands again. Luckily Kerr was still washing his paws and whispered, "Mother Abigail is very strict when it comes to cleanliness. Best to avoid her if you want to get dinner sooner."

Toffee made a mental note to himself about that. Once all the children finished washing they were led back downstairs and into the dining hall. The dining hall had rows of long wooden tables and wooden benches. Toffee sat in between Kerr and Damini and waited as the Mothers poured some soup into the tin bowls and placed two pieces of bread next to the bowls. Once served, the children began to eat. Toffee glanced down at this bowl of soup in suspicious. The memory of Hortense's stew resurfaced making him distrust this new soup. Still, it did smell good. Eventually hunger and curiosity overcame his suspicions. Toffee scooped a small spoonful and sipped. The soup was delicious and the child immediately dug in.

This soup was a lot better than the soup Hortense had made all those weeks ago. The memory of the elderly monster made Toffee pause a bit. Where was Hortense at this moment? Was she looking for him? And what about Jackal? Were both of them safe?

Toffee finished his soup but it wasn't as enjoyable anymore due to his thoughts about Hortense and Jackal. Luckily the rest of the orphans were finishing up their meal and it wasn't until one of the Mothers dismissed them did they leave the dining hall and went back to the play area.

"I have a game we could play up in the bedroom," Kerr said as they left the dining hall. "It's really simple but it's fun once you get the hang of it. Want to play it?"

"That sounds like fun." Damini smiled. Toffee merely shrugged.

The three went up the stone stairs into another hallway where shouting was heard from one of the rooms. Kerr stopped immediately and took a step back.

"It's Anima…maybe we should go back."

Damini froze and slowly nodded. Toffee however was curious. He went towards the door and slowly opened it to find a room with ten beds standing at each side of the wall. Between two beds stood Anima whose back was turned towards him and she was hissing at someone she had cornered near the wall. Walking closer Toffee saw that Anima had not cornered one child, but two. It was Helle and Phrixus.

"Leave us alone, Anima!" Phrixus was saying. "We didn't do anything to you!"

"Liar!" Anima hissed. "I know you don't like me and I don't care! Stop saying these lies about where I came from! You're both just jealous that I'm noble and you're just a couple of orphaned half-breeds! I demand respect!"

"You're not a noble!"

Toffee immediately snapped his jaw shut, unable to believe he had shouted that.

Anima froze and slowly turned her head towards Toffee. Her eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth. "What…did you say?"

"You…" Toffee hesitated. He looked around and noticed the astonished expressions on Helle and Phrixus's faces as if hardly believing someone was standing up for them. Toffee swallowed and glared at Anima. "You're not a noble. You're bullying other children and forcing them to do things they don't want to do. A noble wouldn't do that."

Anima stormed over towards Toffee and glared hatefully at him. "You take that back! I am too a noble! It's not my fault everyone is too stupid to realize it."

"The only stupid one is you," Toffee merely answered.

A gasp came from the four children who stood watching the confrontation and Anima stared at Toffee in disbelief.

Toffee narrowed his eyes. "Now go away and leave my friends alone."

Anima overcame her shock and she snarled. "Are you seriously going to be friends with these half breeds and lower monsters?"

"It's a lot better than being friends with you."

A tense silence filled the air as both lizard and cat glared at each other. Finally Anima growled and started to leave. "You have a big mouth, lizard. No wonder your mother is gone. She's probably happy that she had gotten rid of you."

That was the final straw.

Toffee immediately shoved Anima with all his might and she crashed onto the floor.

Hissing and spitting with rage, Anima scrambled back to her feet and pointed a claw at Toffee.

"You're going to be sorry!"

Before Toffee could respond, Anima whirled around and stormed out of the room.

"Hey…"

Toffee turned around. Phrixus was holding out his hand towards the child. "Thanks…"

Toffee took Phrixus's hand and the two reptilian children shook hands. Helle stepped up and was beaming. "You were amazing! You should have seen Anima's face when you shouted that she wasn't a noble!"

"Toffee?"

Kerr and Damini had entered the room and both were staring at Toffee in awe.

"That was the second time you stood up against her!" Kerr whispered with amazement.

"Second time?!" Helle gasped. "Wow! You're a real hero Toffee!"

"No I'm not…" Toffee muttered.

Damini turned towards Phrixus. "Umm, what did Anima mean by…half breed?"

Phrixus lowered his head and his eyes glanced to one side as if embarrassed. "We're…half Septarian and half Grotesquian. Nobody else here is half anything…"

"Anima likes to point that out a lot," Helle growled in anger.

"Well she's stupid," Toffee reassured. "I don't see what's wrong with that."

Helle gave another beam of joy and even Phrixus gave an awkward smile. However that smile disappeared and he asked, "Did you really mean it?"

"Mean what?" Toffee asked.

"That we're friends…"

Toffee thought about this for a moment. "Do you…want to be friends?"

"Of course we do!" Helle nodded. She turned to her brother and grinned. "Right, Phrixus?"

"Well…" Phrixus clacked his beak-like mouth a little bit. "Well…it would be nice."

Helle immediately grabbed Toffee's hand and shook it. "Done! We're friends now!"

Toffee smiled and turned towards Kerr and Damini. "Looks like we have two more for our group."

There was a knock at the door. "Children? May I come in?"

Helle immediately gave a squeak of alarm. "The king!"

"Quick, quick, someone open the door!" Phrixus urged.

Kerr immediately raced over and threw the door open. Sure enough King Melchior was standing behind the door and gazed down at the children. Helle, Phrixus and Kerr immediately bowed while Damini and Toffee remained standing. Melchior stepped into the room and looked towards Toffee. His gaze did not waver as he spoke.

"Children, do you mind if you give us some privacy? I would like to speak to Toffee alone."

"Y-yes, your majesty…" Kerr nodded.

The four children immediately filed out of the room and Damini gave Toffee a look of concern. Toffee merely smiled reassuringly at her before Melchior closed the door. He pointed to one of the beds. "Sit down, Toffee."

Toffee obeyed and the king sat on the bed across from him.

"Toffee," the king spoke, "I've encountered Anima just recently. She said you attacked her for no reason and I'm quite certain attacking another child is against the rules here."

"She's lying." Toffee growled.

Melchior tilted his head. "Oh?"

Toffee nodded. "She was bullying Kerr and Damini first…then after dinner she started to bully Helle and Phrixus."

"Hmm…I see…"

"Then she said my mother left me here on purpose…because I had a big mouth…"

Melchior didn't say anything as Toffee clutched the bedsheets and gritted his teeth, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. Finally after what seemed like forever, Melchior spoke.

"So you stood up against her because she was bullying her peers…then you pushed her because she said your mother abandoned you on purpose…"

Toffee nodded. He glanced up at the king. "Am…I going to be punished?"

Melchior stood up and rested a hand on Toffee's head. "Not today…"

"Huh?" Toffee blinked.

"You were merely standing up against someone who was oppressing others." Melchior explained. "Such actions are commendable considering our situation."

"Situation?" Toffee was confused. "You mean…about the Mewmans?"

The king nodded. "Like all bullies, the Mewmans always try to oppress us monsters and some monsters are too scared to stand up against them. However there are others like you who stand up against the bullies and that can inspire countless of victims like your new friends. I can sense that you are different than the other children, Toffee. You have a flame deep inside you and when you're old enough I will help you nurture that flame so that it'll grow into an unstoppable blaze."

A wave of pride came over Toffee as he listened to the king. The king saw him as someone that is special…a lot more special than Anima.

"But just be warned," Melchior interrupted Toffee's thoughts, "I will let you off with a warning today but if you attack Anima or another child again, I will have to punish you whether they deserved it or not. Understood?"

Toffee nodded.

"Good. That'll be all. Go and play with your friends."

Toffee jumped off the bed and walked out of the bedroom. Seeing that his new friends were not waiting in the hallway he immediately started to head over to the play area.

If he had looked back, he would have seen a hooded figure in a dark purple robe standing at the end of the hallway. King Melchior came out of the bedroom and gave a sly smile towards the hooded figure.

"That went well, sire." The hooded figure hissed softly.

Melchior merely chuckled. "Children are so easily manipulated…"


End file.
